Are Functional Movement Screen Tests Performed at the Right Time, if It Is an Injury Risk Predictor?

CONTEXT Sports injuries are more common when players are fatigued and occur more frequently at the end of matches; therefore, determining the right time for employing an injury screening test is important. OBJECTIVE To determine the role of timing (prematch vs postmatch fatigue) on the functional movement screen (FMS) scores, a frequently used injury risk screening method. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Field. PARTICIPANTS Twenty-four women soccer players from a professional team were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The players were evaluated with a visual analog scale for perceived fatigue and with the FMS. Assessments were conducted before and after a 60-minute match. RESULTS The subtest scores for deep squat, hurdle line, in-line lunge, trunk stability push-up, and the total FMS scores showed a significant decrease following the match (P < .05). Compared with prematch, the number of players who could achieve the highest score of 3/3 postmatch was lower for all subtests except right shoulder mobility. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest a negative relationship between perceived fatigue level and performance on the deep squat, hurdle line, in-line lunge, and trunk stability push-up subtest scores and in the total FMS score. Therefore, the authors suggest that screening tests such as the FMS should be employed following a match when players present with fatigue.